Razor blade for hair trimmer



1963 R. L. TAPE RAZOR BLADE FOR-HAIR TRIMMER Filed June 22, 1962 2 30 4 zsij -1--n]' INVENTOR ROBERT L. TAPE ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,106,020 RAZUR BLADE FOR HATE TEE/ Wit Robert L. Tape, Uttawa, Gntario, Canada, assignor to Carl Brenton Harris, Gttawa, @ntario, tCanada Filed June 22, I962, Ser. No. 204,312 4 flairns. (6i. 349-336) This invention relates to a double edged razor blade and to a retainer for the blade, capable of being inserted in standard razor blade holders, for use in hair trimming operations. I

Conventional hair trimming razors known in the art employ a standard razor blade holder having clamping means engaging the razor blade, and having a removable comb-like guard portion for the blade. The razor blade used in such holders is a single edged blade which is clamped into or otherwise held by a retaining member which may be inserted into the razor holder. The clamping means of the razor holder grips the blade retaining member in a tight fit so as to prevent the blade from slipping or sliding out of the razor. This type of hair trimming razor has the disadvantage that only one edge portion of the blade is sharpened and the blade must be replaced after the sharpened edge has become dull.

Single edged blades used in hair trimming razors known in the prior art are also expensive to manufacture, because of the fact that each blade must be produced with the retaining member attached to the blade. The dies used for making the blade are considerably morerexpensive than the cost of dies used in the manufacture of single or double edged blades which do not need to be provided with an attached retainer.

According to the present invention, a double edged blade is provided, sharpened along two parallel side edges, which is adapted for use with a conventional razor holder by means of a specially designed retaining member. The double edged blade is provided with suitable recesses and shoulders to cooperate with pins or other protruding elements located in the retaining member so that slippage of the blade with respect to the retaining member is avoided, and so that the sharp edge of the blade adjacent the retaining member does not come into contact with the inner surface of the retaining member.

and thereby become dull. Either edge of the blade may be exposed by reversing the blade in the retainer, an operation which requires no tools and can be performed with ease by anyone using the razor. Accordingly, the present invention makes possible a longer life of the blade because of the fact that it has two sharpened edges instead of the usual single sharpened edge on conventional hair trimming razor blades. Also, the cost of making the blades is considerably reduced because the blade and retainer may be manufactured separately and more cheaply, and because only the blade, and not the retaining member, need be replaced after the blade has become dull. As mentioned above, the cost of making double edged blades without a retaining member attached is considerably less than the cost of making the single edged blade with the retaining member.

The invention will now be described'in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conventional razor holder known in the art;

' and helps to keep the blade FIG. 2 is an end view of the clamping portion of the razor holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the conventional razor blade and retainer known in the art;

FIG. 4 is an end View of the blade and retainer shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the holder shown in FIG. 1, with the blade inserted;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a razor blade constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view of a blade retainer constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the retainer shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates the method whereby the blade constructed according to the present invention is inserted in the retainer;

FIG. 10 illustrates embodiments of the blade and retainer according to the present invention showing the manner in which the blade is prevented from slipping with respect to the retainer and the manner in which the sharpened edge portion of the blade adjacent the retainer is prevented from contacting the inner surfaces of the retainer;

FIG. 11 is an end view of the blade and retainer shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged end view in section of an alternative embodiment of the blade retainer according to the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged end view in section of a further alternative embodiment of the blade retainer constructed according to the present invention.

A conventional hair triming razor holder is shown in FIG. 1. The handle 11 is pivotally attached to an arm 12 which supports a clamping device 16, which may be an extension of the arm. The clamping element 16 also supports a blade guard 13 which has an extended edge portion 14, comb-shaped so as to form a guard for a blade 18 held by the clamping member 16. FIG. 2 shows an end view of the clamping member and guard. The guard 13 includes an outer curved portion i15which slides over and maybe removed from the inner clamping member 16 so as to expose the blade completely. The side of the guard 13 which is extended to form the comb-like portion 14 is given a crimp or bend so as to form a protrusion 17 which bears against the side of the razor blade clamped in the member 16.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional blade 18 used in the hair trimming razor holders of the type shown in FIG. 1. The blade has a single sharpened edge portion 19, and the other edge of the blade is crimped into or otherwise fastened to a retaining member 20 which is grasped by the clamping portion 16 of the arm 12. FIG. 4 shows the blade of FIG. 3 in an end view. Each end of the blade is provided with an indentation 26 in which a removing implement may be inserted so as to remove the blade from the clamping member 16. If the guard 13 is removed from the razor holder first, a portion of the guard member may be inserted in the recess 26 and used to push the blade out of the razor holder.

In FIG. 5 the blade 18 is shown inserted in the razor holder. It will be seen that the retaining member 20 is tightly clamped by the clamping portion 16 of the arm 12. The guard 13 fits over the entire assembly, and the protrusion 17 bears against the side of the blade 18, thus providing a. tighter fit between guard and blade.

According to the present invention, a doubled edged blade is provided which can be used with the conventional razor blade holder shown in FIG. 1. In order to adapt the blade for use with the holder, a special retaining member has been devised which permits changing the position of the blade in the retaining member so as to expose either sharpened edge of the blade.

A razor blade constructed according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The blade 21 is provided with two sharpened edge portions 22 and 23. The end portions 24 and 25 are provided with recessed portions as shown. The edge 24 is provided with two symmetricallypositioned indentations or recesses 27 which serve to provide oppositely positioned lug portions of the blade, one side of the lug portions being provided by the projecting ends 28 and 2d of the sharpened side edge portions 23 and 24, respectively. An indentation 26 in the middle of each end portion of the blade also appears in the blade of FIG. 6, as well as on the conventional blade shown in FIG. 3, but this is not an essential feature of the invention. v V

The end 25 of the blade 2?. opposite the end 24 is provided with a pair of oppositely positioned shoulders 33 formed by a recess in two corners of the blade 21. As will be shown below, the shoulders 39 and the recesses 27 are adapted to cooperate with pins or other projecting members in the retainer so as to hold the blade 21 in the retainer.

FIG. 7 shows a retaining member constructed according to the present invention. It is shaped much like the retainer 20 in FIG. 3, but the space between the sides 32 of the retainer (see FIG. 8) is sufiiciently large to permit insertion of a blade into the retainer and removal of the blade from the retainer. The retainer is also provided with pins 33 and 34 which cooperate with the recesses 27 and the shoulders 30' in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9. The blade 21 is inserted into the retainer 31 by fitting the projecting portion 28 (or 29) of the blade 21 underneath the pin 33 so as to cause the pin to engage the recess 27. The end 25 of the blade 21 is then rotated, with the pin 33 as pivot, in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 9. When this is done, the shoulder 30 engages the pin 34 and prevents the blade 21 from entering any further into the retainer 3-1. The resulting configuration is shown in FIG. 10. As can be seen, the blade is prevented from moving laterally because of the engagement of the shoulder 35) and the recess 27 with the pins 34 and 33, respectively. The end 24 of the blade 21 is prevented from moving vertically because of the engagement of the protrusion 28 with the pin 33, and the only possible vertical movement is that of the end 25 with respect to the pin 34. However, when the blade is inserted in the holder (in the same manner as the conventional blade-see FIG. the sides of the retainer 31 are clamped tightly against the blade and there is little tendency for the blade to move out of the retainer. Furthermore, when the razor is in use, the pressure against the blade is in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. and thus the blade tends to be pushed into the retainer, rather than out of it.

FIG. 10 also illustrates the fact that the sharpened edge 23 of the blade is separated from the inner surface 36 of the curved connecting portion 37 of the retainer 31 because of the engagement of the recess 27 and the shoulder 3b with the pins 33 and 34, respectively. Thus the sharpened edge portion 23 does not become dull exposed instead of the edge 22.. This is-possible because d or" the symmetry of the blade about the longitudinal axis 35 (see FIG. 6).

Some variations in the structure of the razor blade and retainer according to the invention are possible. For example, to facilitate manufacturing, the pins 33 and as might be replaced by opposing projections 38 as shown in FIG. 12. These projections could be formed simply by punching the outside surface of the retainer 31 by a pointed instrument, if the material of which the retainer is made is soft enough. Aiurther alternative embodiment of a retaining member constructed according to the present invention is shown in section in FIG. 13. In this embodiment, one side of the retainer 3 1 is provided with a projecting stud 39, and the other side of the retainer is provided with a hole or recess it? into which the stud 39 projects. Only one stud and the corresponding hole in the retainer are shown in FIG. 13, for simplicity. Two studs are, of course, present, and may Well have different vertical displacements from the bottom of the retainer. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 permit the retainer 31 to be cast from a single blank of metal, and then folded so as to form the U-shaped structure shown in FIG. 13.

The recessed portions and shoulders of the blade engaging the pins or studs as the case may he, need not be positioned exactly as shown, provided the simple manner of reversing the blade in the holder shown in FIG. 9 is possible. It is believed that the embodiments shown are some of the simplest and most useful possible.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a blade having parallel sharpened side edges and having a first end recessed on both sides adjacent said sharpened edge portions so as to form shoulders, the opposite end having two recesses, one side of each of said recesses being formed by one of the side edges of the razorblade; a blade retainer having parallel spaced sides and a connection portion joining said sides so as to form a space between the sides sufficient to permit the insertion of the blade, and a pair of pins, one pin being disposed near one end of the retainer and adapted to be received in either of said recesses; the other pin being disposed near the opposite end of said retainer so as to bear against one of the shoulder portions when the blade is inserted in the retainer; and a razor holder having a U-shaped clamping element removably and slidably gripping said retainer.

'2. The combination comprising a razor blade having parallel sharpened edge portions and being symmetrical about a centre .line parallel to the sharpened edge portions, a retainer provided with a projecting portion positioned near each end of the retainer, the blade having a recess adapted to cooperate with one of said projecting portions of the retainer so as to prevent vertical move ment and lateral movement in one direction of the blade with respect to the retainer when the blade is positioned in the retainer, the blade having a recessed shoulder at the other end of the blade adapted to contact the second projecting member of the retainer thereby to prevent lateral movement of the blade in a direction opposite to said one direction with respect to the retainer; and a razor holder having a U-shaped clamping element removably and slidably gripping said retainer.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein one side of the recess is formed by a projecting portion of one of said sharpened edge portions of the razor blade.

4. The combination comprising a razor holder pro vided at one end with a clamping element of substantially U-shaped cross-section, a razor blade retainer of substantially U-shaped cross-section removably slidable in the clamping element and removably gripped by the 5 clamping element, the retainer being provided near each end with a projection projecting into the space partially enclosed by the U for-med by the retainer, and a razor blade having parallel sharpened side edges and removably held by the retainer, the blade being provided With two symmetrically-disposed recesses in one end edge, each recess being formed near a sharpened edge of the blade, the recess nearest the retainer being removably engaged by one of said projections, the blade being provided at the end opposite said one end with symmetricallydisposed shoulders adjacent the sharpened side edges, the

shoulder nearest the retainer being reniovably engaged by one of said projections, the sharpened edge nearest the retainer being removably held by said projections substantially parallel to and displaced from the trough of the U for-med by the retainer.

References liter in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dyer Oct. 13, Levalley Feb. 8, Smith July 11, Hasson Nov. 9, Klarnroth May 8, Brix June 5, Langenbach June 17, Anderson Oct. 6, Stern Mar. 26,

FOREIGN PATENTS Switzeriand June 11, Germany Apr. 13, 

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A BLADE HAVING A PARALLEL SHAPENED SIDE EDGES AND HAVING A FIRST END RECESSED ON BOTH SIDES ADJACENT SAID SHARPENED EDGE PORTIONS SO AS TO FORM SHOULDERS, THE OPPOSITE END HAVING TWO RECESSES, ONE SIDE OF EACH OF SAID RECESSES BEING FORMED BY ONE OF THE SIDE EDGES OF THE RAZOR BLADE; A BLADE RETAINER HAVING A PARALLEL SPACED SIDES AND A CONNECTION PORTION JOINING SAID SIDES SO AS TO FORM A SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDES SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT THE INSERTION OF THE BLADE, AND A PAIR OF PINS, ONE PIN BEING DISPOSED NEAR ONE END OF THE RETAINER AND ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN EITHER OF SAID RECESSES; THE OTHER PIN BEING DISPOSED NEAR THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID RETAINER SO AS TO BEAR AGAINST ONE OF THE SHOULDER PORTIONS WHEN THE BLADE INSERTED IN THE RETAINER; AND A RAZOR HOLDER HAVING A U-SHAPED CLAMPING ELEMENT REMOVABLY AND SLIDABLY GRIPPING SAID RETAINER. 